Published Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Chiefs due for changes
By Rick Dean
The Capital-Journal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Despite another miserable day at the office Sunday, Willie Roaf -- a guy who could walk away from his job at any time knowing that he's financially set for life -- reported back to work Monday with the vigor of a kid just starting out.
"He's one of our older guys, yet our people in the weight room this morning told me he was moving iron around like a rookie, even after taking a lot of snaps yesterday," said Dick Vermeil, Roaf's immediate supervisor with the Kansas City Chiefs. "He's still got a lot of pride left."
Roaf's current position, mind you, is considerably more secure than a lot of his teammates on the Chiefs, a 3-8 team due for some restructuring after an entire season of underperformance.
Easily one of the best left tackles ever to play in the NFL, the 34-year-old Roaf has a job with the Chiefs for as long as he wants it. The only question on the mind of his employers: How long does he want to work?
Tackle Willie Road (77) is one of few Kansas City Chiefs players with job security.
Click here to check for reprint availability.Roaf will get back to them sometime after this current season ends. He worries, though, that some of his co-workers likely won't get the chance to go out on their own terms. He worries more that some of them act like they don't understand that.
"Guys have to understand that we're playing for our jobs now and the coaches are coaching for their jobs," the future Hall of Fame player said Sunday after the Chiefs' 34-31 home loss to San Diego. "You've got to feed your family. When it goes down like this you have to keep fighting through it because you know there's going to be some changes.
"They'll understand that at the end of the season if they don't know it now."
Indeed, changes seem inevitable around Arrowhead in the next couple of months, though Vermeil said he plans on being around to make them. Nothing has happened yet, he said Monday, to make him abandon his plan to fulfill the final year of his contract next season.
While not yet ready to talk about the changes that are almost mandatory when a 13-3 team becomes a 3-8 one in less than a year, Vermeil understands the public demand for personnel upgrades -- especially on a 30th-ranked defense that has been one of the NFL's worst for three consecutive seasons.
"I don't necessarily see it that way," he said when asked if there were players who should worry about remaining employed. "But these guys know there's no job security in this league. Some are more secure than others, but overall, everyone is trying out for next year."
Vermeil only wishes that restructuring a football team was as easy as Joe in Raytown thinks it is as he vents his rage on talk radio. Adding new talent while retaining proven people who can still play -- like Roaf -- is a delicate balance difficult to achieve under NFL salary cap limitations.
"There's no easy way to rebuild," he countered. "There aren't 15 All-Pros willing to come to Kansas City and fit under our salary cap, or anyone else's cap. There are teams now who've got $98 left (under the cap) who will have to get rid of players.
"Personally, I don't think we're that far away from being better on defense," Vermeil added. "We'd have been better yesterday if not for some technical mistakes we made."
